Chapter 47 Fang Han had originally been extremely looking forward to National Day, but then...
Fang Han had been looking forward to National Day, but after learning that Gao Wen would be going to training during the holiday, that anticipation turned into agony.
He always wished time would go by faster or slower.
National Day has arrived in the blink of an eye.
Fang Han watched Gao Wen pack her luggage. She didn't have much to bring, just one suitcase.
Gao Wen said, "These five days have been all intensive training and drills, so there's not much to teach them."
In the past, when she traveled, she couldn't fit everything in two large suitcases, filled with all sorts of beautiful clothes, shoes, and bags. Now, she just packs one set after another of sportswear and yoga clothes.
Gao Wen booked an early morning flight. She was busy until late yesterday, so she only got up this morning to pack quickly and dragged her luggage out the door.
Fang Han was in the living room and took her luggage: "Let me do it."
After he finished speaking, he handed her a paper bag.
Gao Wen took it: "What is this?"
Fang Han: "Breakfast."
He guessed she wouldn't have time to eat.
As the two stepped out the door, Gao Wen's phone rang. She said softly, "Wait a moment, I'm coming downstairs now."
She hung up the phone and went into the elevator with Fang Han.
The elevator doors closed, and Gao Wen, carrying a paper bag, glanced at Fang Han: "I've arranged for a driver to take us directly to the airport."
"Okay, let me know when you arrive," Fang Han said with a smile.
"Okay." Gao Wen turned to look at him. "What about you? What are you planning to do for National Day?"
"I might have to get back to work on the project and go home for a while." Originally, work wasn't part of Fang Han's plan.
Gao Wen nodded.
The ride-hailing driver was very helpful. As soon as he saw Gao Wen from afar, he opened the trunk and took her luggage.
Fang Han wanted to take her to the airport, but that wasn't possible now. Gao Wen got into the car, rolled down the window, and waved to him, "Bye-bye, I'm leaving now."
"Okay." Fang Han stood still and watched the car leave.
Gao Wen looked down at the paper bag in her arms. She opened it and found a sandwich, some cut fruit, and her favorite milk.
She took out the milk first; the milk was warm.
Gao Wen looked out the window. The morning breeze was slightly cool, and the scenery kept passing by. The warmth in her palm slowly flowed into her heart.
She couldn't help but smile.
Fang Han has always been such a warm and thoughtful person.
*
When Gao Wen arrived in T City, Fang Han didn't want to be alone, so he packed his things and went home.
Fang Hongming weeded and fed the turtles in the back garden. He also bought a lot of koi and fed them every day. They became fat and their swimming bodies became slower.
Fang Han went over to take a look, and every time he saw them, he felt that the fish had gotten fatter.
The backyard still had several birdcages. Fang Han looked at a parrot and asked, "Is this a new one?"
“Yeah,” Fang Hongming nodded, “It’s not cheap. Your mom scolded me for days.”
Fang Han walked up to the parrot. The parrot's head and back feathers were yellow with black stripes. Its eyes darted around, and it tilted its head to look at Fang Han, which suddenly reminded him of the day at the hotel when Gao Wen looked at him in the same way.
Fang Han suddenly laughed and reached out to touch the cage.
"How dare you!" the little parrot suddenly exclaimed.
Fang Han was stunned on the spot.
“Old man,” the little parrot spoke again, “you’ve got a death wish!”
Fang Hongming quickly walked over and scolded the parrot, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
“Nonsense,” the little parrot continued, shaking its head, “an old man who doesn’t like to exercise, talking nonsense—”
Fang Hongming: "..."
Fang Han smiled again.
This parrot looks quite intelligent.
As it turns out, this parrot is not only intelligent, but also incredibly talkative, chattering away non-stop, just like Fang Han showing off his skills:
"Old man!"
"I want fried pork ribs, why aren't they serving them?"
"Porridge, remember to cook porridge!"
"You're an idiot, a big idiot, I'm a beauty, I'm a beauty."
"Isn't it because of your stupid son, Fang Han, you big idiot?"
......
Fang Hongming couldn't stand it anymore, so he picked up the parrot and went to the front yard. He was such a copycat.
"How dare you! How dare you, you old man!" the little parrot kept yelling.
When Fang Hongming returned, the courtyard was quiet.
"Where's Mom?" Fang Han sat in the small courtyard and brewed a pot of tea.
“There are activities everywhere during the National Day holiday. I guess she and your Aunt Xiufen went around to audit classes and collect eggs,” Fang Hongming muttered. “She’s always running around, going out several times a day. Even the mayor isn’t as busy as her.”
Fang Han poured him a cup of tea, looking at the many more flowers and plants around them: "You seem quite busy too."
Fang Hongming gave a light hum and picked up his tea to drink.
"It's good that Mom is busy these days," Fang Han said, then paused for a moment and looked into the distance. "Grandpa's death anniversary is coming soon."
Upon hearing this, Fang Hongming put down his cup, sighed deeply, and his face became somewhat solemn: "She has never accepted it, and it makes her feel bad for a long time whenever it is brought up, so let's not talk to her about it."
"I know." Fang Han nodded. "I'll go to the school the day after tomorrow. You can stay at home."
"OK."
......
When Hu Hong returned, she brought back quite a few trinkets.
Fang Han glanced at them; they were all handmade items, not edible or drinkable, just decorative pieces. There was no harm in that, and he even praised them a few times.
"It was made by a young girl herself. She said she dropped out of school early and taught herself the craft. Her parents were sick and her younger brother was in school. It's so inspiring," Hu Hong described. "She's fair-skinned and only in her early twenties. She's so skillful; she sculpted it in no time!" Hu Hong took out the ornament and kept praising it.
Fang Han ignored him and said again, "Mom and Dad, I'm going back now."
Fang Hongming chimed in, "What? Are you changing your daughter-in-law again?"
"Who said that?" Hu Hong glared. "I'm convinced this time."
Fang Han, who was leaving, didn't hear the second half of Hu Hong's sentence: "I've decided on Wenwen, Wenwen is my daughter-in-law! No one can take her from me!"
As Fang Han walked through the alley, he occasionally heard vendors calling out their wares, and sometimes a rickshaw driver would pass by, carrying tourists and vividly recounting history as he rode.
He took out his phone and glanced at it.
Gao Wen replied to the message I sent this morning.
Since going to T City, Gao Wen has become noticeably busier. She only replies with voice messages, probably because she has trouble even typing.
Fang Han opened the voice chat and held it to his ear. Gao Wen's distressed voice came through: "It's raining here, it's too humid, and it's making me uncomfortable. I'm not used to it."
The cold in the north is different from the cold in the south.
In winter, people in the north have central heating, but people in the south just have to tough it out.
Fang Han knew that the weather in T City would be drizzling for the next few days, and the temperature would drop.
He slowed his pace and lowered his head to type.
Gao Wen didn't reply to him.
It wasn't until 11:30 p.m. that Gao Wen made a video call.
Fang Han, who was lying on the bed, jumped up and quickly sat down at his desk. He tidied himself up, took a few deep breaths, and then answered her call.
On the other end of the video call, Gao Wen was nowhere to be seen. She said, "I'm putting on a face mask so as not to scare you."
"It's nothing," Fang Han said. "Were you very busy today?"
Speaking of this, Gao Wen had a lot to say. "From morning to night, they didn't rest at all. From theory to training, I felt like they didn't want to waste a single minute. What I was most dissatisfied with was—" she said, her tone becoming somewhat unbearable, "that boxed lunch was super, super awful, really awful."
"Maybe it just doesn't suit my taste."
"Shall I order you some takeout? What would you like to eat?" Fang Han asked.
“It’s late at night,” Gao Wen shook her head. “I don’t know what to eat.”
"Tomorrow will be tough again, so it's okay to eat more. I've been to T City a few times and know a few good restaurants. I'll order you some to try." Fang Han emphasized, "They're all established brands, and I always order from them whenever I go. They're perfect for a late-night snack."
Gao Wen was persuaded: "What is it?"
"A stew pot." Fang Han said, already looking at it. He had heard her mention the hotel she was staying at; she was on the nineteenth floor. "What room number are you staying in?"
1905.
Fang Han: "Okay."
"But I'm so sleepy," Gao Wen said, yawning.
“You haven’t done your skincare routine yet. We’ll be there by the time you finish. It’s not far,” Fang Han said. “Just have a few bites, otherwise I’m afraid you’ll feel too tired and upset, and you won’t be able to sleep well at night.”
"No way," Gao Wen said, laughing at herself.
He understood her; she had been feeling down since dinner that day.
Gao Wen and Fang Han were talking when the food delivery arrived. They had just finished applying a face mask and washing their faces, and hadn't even started their skincare routine yet.
"So fast!" Gao Wen exclaimed in surprise.
"Have something to eat. It's getting late. Eat and then go to bed early," Fang Han said with a smile.
Gao Wen brought in the takeout, placed her phone on the table, and reached out to untie the takeout bag.
Her face appeared clearly on the phone screen.
Fang Han still felt her heart flutter when she looked at that face, and her eyes softened.
"Did you go home today?" Gao Wen asked.
"Okay, I'll go back in the morning and go to the company in the afternoon," Fang Han said.
"Working overtime during National Day." Gao Wen took out a whole coconut shell from inside. She was slightly taken aback, then lifted the lid. A coconut aroma wafted out, stimulating her taste buds.
Fang Han: "Many people work overtime during the National Day holiday. They want to avoid the holiday to go on vacation, and they also get triple pay."
Gao Wen understood immediately. She took a sip of the soup, and it was so delicious it made her eyebrows fall off. Fang Han saw it clearly. Her eyes lit up, and she looked at him with surprise: "Wow—it's delicious."
Fang Han laughed along.
“I have forgiven this city,” Gao Wen said seriously.
"I thank you on its behalf," Fang Han replied with a smile. "Just eat something, it's getting late, you should go to bed early, you have to get up early tomorrow."
"Um."
Gao Wen was quietly drinking her soup, while Fang Han's gaze remained fixed on her, his dark eyes filled with love.
*
Two more days passed.
That day, Fang Han got up very early and went to National Southeast University. He walked slowly along the campus road and came all the way to the Academician Building.
Red brick walls, tiled roofs, and a low surrounding wall. Fang Han pushed open the door and entered the courtyard. The pomegranate tree next to the courtyard was in its harvest season, laden with bright red pomegranates.
Fang Han stood under the tree for a long time before finally going to open the door.
The living room is furnished very simply, with the only extra item being rows of neat bookshelves filled with books.
The interior decoration still retains its appearance from the last century, bearing the marks of time.
Fang Han walked to the solid wood table, picked up the old white ceramic teacup, boiled water and brewed a cup of tea, gently placed it on the table, then began to water the green plants on the window, and walked into the yard with a broom.
Today is the last half-day of training, so there's relatively little important content.
Gao Wen checked her phone several times; Fang Han hadn't replied to her messages all day, which she found strange.
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